New technology could allow airport security to ‘feel’ for threats through virtual pat-downs, letting agents identify threats without physically touching passengers.
The concept, called the Wearable Sensor for Contactless Physical Assessment (WSCPA), is in early development for the US’ TSA airport security force, which could see security officers use VR headsets, haptic gloves and touchless sensors to simulate the sensation of touch, if approved.
This ‘touchless’ technology could help TSA agents to identify hidden objects without making contact with the person, using touchless sensors to register an object’s contours and generate feedback to physically replicate the target object.
The WSCPA system scans the body using advanced imaging methods similar to LIDAR, creating a ‘contour map’ of the object or body part that is being examined.
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